England rumble into the European Championship semi-finals after penalty shoot-out
A beautiful game it is not, England and Switzerland in the EURO quarter-finals. The Swiss are leading, the "Three Lions" quickly fall behind. After 90 and 120 minutes, it's a draw - the favorite advances in the penalty shootout.
England's football stars are suffering through the EURO - but they can suddenly convert penalties. After a again disappointing performance, Gareth Southgate's team advanced to the semi-finals against Switzerland with a 5:3 scoreline and can continue to dream of the first major title since the World Cup triumph in their own country in 1966. England won the round of 16 against Slovakia after a comeback in extra time, but against the Swiss it was 1:1 (0:0) after 120 minutes.
Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford made the decisive save against Manuel Akanji and thus also held off the curse: England had only won 10 penalty shootouts in their history at major tournaments.
But in the semi-final on Wednesday (21:00/MagentaTV and live at ntv.de), Dortmund, the team definitely needs a performance boost to beat the Netherlands or Turkey. Against the Swiss, who missed their first ever semi-final appearance at a major tournament despite taking the lead through Breel Embolo (75.), Bukayo Saka (80%) ensured extra time, which was goalless.
Not a single shot on target in the first half
Under the watchful eye of Prince William on the honorary podium, a tense game unfolded, in which both teams shied away from taking risks. When in possession of the ball, they retreated deep, with Harry Kane even defending 35 meters from his own goal. Few openings presented themselves, and when in possession, the way forward was correspondingly long.
England tried to use the right side with Saka, but the deliveries from the winger were not precise enough. Phil Foden, who as many experts had hoped could play centrally, had little influence on the game. Notably, an English corner was played so poorly that Kyle Walker had to replace goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
There were no scoring opportunities in the first half - the statisticians counted only zero shots on target for both teams before the break. Even Bayern star Kane was mostly involved in fruitless running. England's brilliant attacking line-up failed to get into rhythm, as it had throughout the entire tournament. England played the most exciting team the most boring football.
Kane sees yellow, otherwise ineffective
The Swiss struggled to create danger themselves, but found no gaps in the dense English defensive ranks. They did manage to win the race for the first shot on target: But Embolo's attempt (51%) was harmless. In an extremely tight game, the Swiss took control slightly, while England continued to disappoint.
Captain Kane was shown a yellow card for a foul on Manuel Akanji (67%) and defended strongly in front of his own penalty area. But into the offensive play, England's best goalscorer was still not integrated.
With a single action, Saka countered the leadership. Kane had to be substituted ten minutes before the extension due to exhaustion. The Swiss advanced, the substituted Xherdan Shaqiri scored a direct corner kick on the post - but in the penalty shootout, England actually forced a win from Switzerland.
In the upcoming semi-final of the European Football Championship 2024, England's top talent Jude Bellingham will aim to deliver a stellar performance against either the Netherlands or Turkey. Meanwhile, during the EURO quarter-finals, despite playing an international match against Switzerland, England's striker Harry Kane found himself defending deep, 35 meters from his own goal.
